Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Manure and Vermicompost on the Elasticity Modulus of Loam Soil in Different Moistures

Abstract

Abstract This study aims to investigate the effects of manure and vermicompost in terms of soil elasticity modulus changes in loam soil. The uniaxial compression test measures the compressive strength of a soil cylinder without any lateral load. The modulus of elasticity was determined by plotting the strain-stress diagrams and calculating the slope of these diagrams. The increase in moisture and organic matter content significantly improved soil flexibility and decreased its elasticity modulus. It was found that adding animal manure had a greater effect on the flexibility of the soil as compared to vermicompost, while the elasticity modulus of the samples containing animal manure was lower. The interaction effect of moisture and the organic matter content indicated that the increase in humidity was more effective in the soil containing vermicompost as compared to the soil containing manure, such that when the manure rate was around 19%, the moisture increase had no significant impact on the elasticity modulus. It was found that adding organic matter was more effective at the low moisture level of 15.5% than at higher moistures where the effect of adding organic matter did not affect the soil elasticity modulus decrement as strongly.